Should Jack Grealish Be In The England Squad?

Following the withdrawal of Harry Winks and Marcus Rashford from the latest England squad, Aston Villa's Jack Grealish has earned his first senior call up to the three lions. Villa fans have been demanding this for quite some time now but after an excellent campaign in the Premier League, many other fans have been calling for Jack to get the call too. Grealish will no doubt be delighted to finally get the nod but should he be disappointed that it's taken so long? To answer this question we take a look at some of the other midfielders named in the squad, who he'll be competing with for a starting spot. 

3 Jadon Sancho Alternatives Manchester United Should Consider

Manchester United wanting Jadon Sancho is one of the worst kept secrets around, but despite this, it doesn't look like they're going to get their man anytime soon. With that in mind, we take a look at 3 alternatives United should be looking at instead.

Has Football Gone Too VAR?

After a week absolutely jam packed with excitement and controversy, one of the biggest talking points in football has once again dominated - VAR. Last Wednesday saw one of the most exciting games of football that the Champions League has seen in a long time as Spurs edged through to the semi-finals, thanks to both a spirited display and a helping hand from the video assistant referee.

I'll start with the views of those that are entirely against VAR. Despite my suspicions that some football fans find themselves biased against VAR purely due to the fact that they dislike the idea of technology taking over in the world as a whole, many find their main argument against VAR being that it takes away 'human error'. The fact that many choose to use this as a disadvantage seems crazy to me. As much as I agree that having officials actually officiating on the pitch gives football a more human feel, I just think there's far too much riding on matches these days for decisions to be made incorrectly. It's all well and good conceding an offside goal in the last game of the season, costing you 11th place, however, it's a completely different story when this offside goal is the margin between a team staying in the league and potentially avoiding financial oblivion. There's too much money involved in football today to leave outcomes down to error or chance. 

5 Reasons Why West Ham Can Make The Top 4

Slaven Bilic's men have been on a rampage this season, combining some swift counter-attacking football with robust defending when they need to. 

They started the season on fire but, unlike last season, have managed to hold it together after Christmas too. At the time of writing, the Hammers sit 2 points off 4th placed Manchester City so here's 5 reasons why they could earn a place amongst Europe's elite next season.

1. They've got Payet.

I thought I'd start with the most obvious reason. Whatever you think of Dimitri Payet, it's undeniable that he's absolutely changed West Ham United. The Frenchman simply has magic in his boots and has transformed West Ham this season. His talent is such that he improves the performances of those around him and even if he has a quiet game, he nearly always pop up with a crucial goal or assist. This is his best quality and it is what can win you matches and this is invaluable. 

How Do You Solve A Problem Like England?

For years now, the English national team has been under performing and falling short on the big stage. With arguably the best league in the world and everyone in the squad playing in that league, you'd think we'd be one of the best teams about. Unfortunately, this is not the case and we look poor against good, well-organised teams. So what is going wrong with the nation's finest?

The first thing you've got to look at is the manager, Roy Hodgson. Formerly of West Brom, Liverpool and Fulham, Hodgson is respected within the game and whilst not a miracle worker, he knows what he's doing. Hodgson hasn't been in the job that long, after being appointed England manager on 1st May 2012 but has already got a major tournament under his belt. Although expectations weren't overly high for the tournament, England stunk of average in my opinion. After a rather dull 1-1 draw against France, England just shuffled past Sweden and Ukraine in the group stages before losing to finalists Italy. The score in the Italy match wasn't a fair reflection, in my opinion, they were the better team and offered a lot more going forward, we never looked threatening in attack. Whilst not very promising, is this hugely different from recent England managers that have gone before him? No is your answer. Hodgson could be forgiven for this uninspiring tournament as he hadn't been in charge long and it was his first one.

Is Gary Neville Right About The Premier League?

It's no secret that the Premier League is the wealthiest in world football. Buying foreign stars for large amounts of money has become a ritual. From teenagers with blistering futures to players at the peak of their powers, England has become accustom to spending big money. 

Sky Sports pundit and now Valencia boss Gary Neville recently spoke about the problems with English football when covering a match between West Ham and Newcastle. 

He highlighted that 'we (being the English league) are funding the rest of Europe...' and he's not wrong. 

Examples that he spoke about consist of Anthony Martial for £36 million and Roberto Firmino for £20 million in which their previous clubs stated it was huge amounts of money.


He goes on to mention how 'we are a bank' simply due to the amount of money the Premier League has.

Do you agree with him? Let us know!

The Top 4's Outstanding Duo's

We take a look at the top 4's highest performing duo's and their incredible statistics! 

Jamie Vardy & Riyad Marrez

League Position: 1st 

Goals: 30
Assist: 11

Sergio Aguero & Kevin De Bruyne 

League Position: 2nd

Goals: 17

Assists: 11

Oliver Giroud & Mesut Ozil

League Position: 3rd

Goals: 15
Assists: 18

Harry Kane & Christian Eriksen 

League Position: 4th

Goals: 17
Assists: 8



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The 2015/16 Premier League Team Of The Season So Far

Having passed the half way mark of the season, we discuss our team of the season so far!

Jack Butland
The 22 year old has been one of the talking points this season. Providing top performances for Stoke City, Jack is one of the main reasons for their success so far. It's fair to say the England goalkeeper has a big future ahead.



Hector Bellerin
The Arsenal right back has shown strong levels of consistency throughout the seasons so far. His pace and attacking presence have enabled him to pick up several assists and also provide another option for the team.

Is This Manchester United Legend Spot On?

There is no doubt that United haven't been their usual prolific attacking selves of late. Some say its down to current manager Louis Van Gaal's approach to games, or the fact that the squad simply isn't good enough. 

With arguably only two world class players, David De Gea and Wayne Rooney, in their ranks, this Manchester United team is far behind it's main rivals in Manchester City. 

The early exit out of the Champions League also shows the backwards step that the 20-time Premier League champions have taken.  

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has expressed his opinion about the current squad a number of times complaining how they play 'boring, sideways football.' Is he right?

In their last 10 home games, United have failed to score in the first half of every one. Something the fans are not used to. Boos on the half time whistle show how frustrated the United fans are, and rightly so. 

Should the Red Devils be busy in the transfer window? 

Let us know!

The Promising Future For English Football

Jack Butland

Having started off the season so brightly, Jack Butland has become arguably the best performing goalkeeper in the Premier League this season. With openly speaking about how he is more than happy to compete with number 1 goalkeeper Joe Hart, there is certainly a bright future for England.

John Stones

Being linked with Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City, there is no doubt that John Stones has a very promising career ahead of him. Compared to the ranks of John Terry and Rio Ferdinand, Stones certainly has the attributes to become a high quality centre half. The 21 year old is certain to reach a high number of caps for the national side.

Dele Alli

The young Spurs midfielder as started off his Premier League career in 6th gear. Having featured in 18 of the 20 league games so far it shows how important he is becoming to the spine of Tottenham's team. 19 years old and the vocal point of many discussions it is clear to see that Alli has a great future ahead of him.

Ross Barkley 

Everton's local lad Ross Barkley has increased his profile year by year by improving both his scoring statistics and assists. Taking control of Everton's number 10 role, Barkley has shown he is capable of playing in a position wanted by many. The 22 year old already has England caps under his belt, and is going to continue to do so. 

Harry Kane

Reaching 50 goals for Tottenham at the age of just 22 is a remarkable achievement. England's new front man had hit top form in 2015 and is looking to carry this on through the 2016 campaign. There is no doubt that scoring goals will not be a problem for England with Harry Kane as their frontman. 

Will it be Leo's Clasico?

Lionel Messi is set to return for this Saturday's El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu, hoping to stretch the lead over their rivals to six points.

Both teams have lost 1 in their last 6 matches. However, clean sheets have become hard to register with Barcelona and Real Madrid having 2 in their previous 6 games.

As one third of the magical trio took some time out, his assistants have taken over... Neymar and Luis Suarez have scored 20 goals between them carrying Barcelona to the top of La Liga. 

Real's golden boy Cristiano Ronaldo has started where he left off last season scoring 8 goals in 11 La Liga appearances.  



With Karim Benzema not available for the Clasico it looks as though Ronaldo will continue to act as the front man hoping to close the gap on their rivals. 

The competition in midfield: 

It can be argued that Real Madrid's and Barcelona's midfielders are the best in world football. The German and Croatian pair of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric have showed their class with passing accuracies of 92.6% and 92.1% in the La Liga this season. Facing them come the trio of Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakatic. Known for their domination of possession, it will be interesting to see who gets the better of who. A key battle on the pitch for sure.

The Balotelli Gamble

After Liverpool successfully secured the signing of Mario Balotelli shortly before their clash with the impressive Manchester City, we thought we'd take a look at whether this was a genius move or whether Liverpool were doomed. Please feel free to add comments with your opinions, I'd love to know what others think!

I won't bore you with Balotelli's past, who he played for when he was 11, how many goals he scored for them, what his favourite colour as as a child etc., what I want to talk about is his impact on the Liverpool team. 

Liverpool nabbed Balotelli for a fee reported to be around £16m (BBC Sports) and I think this is a pretty good price. If you go on twitter you'll see all the comparisons like the fact that Balotelli only cost Liverpool £5m more than Fulham paid for Ross Mcormack and if you look at it like that then it probably is good value. However, don't forget, Milan were trying to sell him and I can imagine it's incredibly difficult to push the price up with someone who has a history like Mario does. I think only time will tell if it was good value for money but he definitely represents a huge risk.

10 Things We Learned From Chelsea vs Leicester

After Chelsea defeated Leicester 2-0 at Stamford Bridge we took a look at what this game was able to tell us about both teams. Here's 10 things we picked up!

1. Diego Costa is exactly what Chelsea need
This is probably the most obvious one of all so we'll get it out the way first but you can't deny that Chelsea have been crying out for someone like Costa for ages. Not only did they desperately need a classy striker but Costa fits the bill perfectly. At risk of repeating Alan Shearer on MOTD (who was right by the way), Costa has more to his game than goals and his hold up play will be very useful as it allows others to run in behind and with Fabregas' quality final ball, chances should be abundant. Also, Costa is a natural goalscorer, a poacher, as shown by his first two goals. 

2. Leicester aren't as easy to beat as most thought they would be
Leicester have given a very decent account of themselves in their opening games and have surprised many. Although their fixture list seems to have given them a baptism of fire, they look like they could be a good side when they get out the other side of it. Following an excellent comeback against a strong Everton side, they produced an admirable display against Chelsea. Any team thinking they're an easy three points should think again!

Premier League 2013/2014 Preview

The fever of the Premier League is finally returning after three months. Without a shadow of a doubt this season will be different. How big can a change get when you realise that there will be no Sir Alex to lead out the Manchester United side, and also, the inevitable return of the Special One – Jose Mourinho. With massive changes at Chelsea, United, City etc. It will be a feisty encounter and fascinating no doubt, to see who takes the glory this time around.

Lets talk a bit about who will be facing who on the opening day of the Premier League 2013-14 season. Here are my thoughts on the possible outcomes and what players can make a name for themselves over the course of the new season.

Liverpool vs. Stoke

Stoke have done extremely well in the past couple of years to stay up and become a side which most of the teams fear because of how they play but that might change this year with a shift in the managerial position. Is it possibly the last chance for Mark Hughes to really make a name for himself? On the other hand, the real task for Liverpool would be to retain the services of the Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez. Rogers has done well to bring in good, solid young players and they can play a good role in the progress of the team. If Suarez stays, surely Champions League spot is not out of reach for them?

Prediction for the fixture: 2-0 to Liverpool.

Summer 2013: Transfer Bargains

Forget the extortionately priced players, here's some players that clubs should really think about buying as they're available for very reasonable prices! The list is dominated by Premier League players with the exception of the Brazilian, Fred. Of course, we all have opinions and mine is just one of them so tell me in the comments below if you think anyone should be added to this list, or if you can think of any foreign players who deserve a place there!

Tomas Rosicky
Rosicky has been at Arsenal a while now and although has failed to grab many headlines, he has caught the eye at times. His time at Arsenal has been extremely disjointed due to many factors, mainly injury. However, Rosicky showed in his excellent performance away at West Brom last season that he still has something to offer. I think Rosicky could massively benefit from a different environment and he could improve a number of teams in the Premier League. He could be available at a very reasonable price too, probably less than £5m.

Why Alan Pardew Should Be Sacked

Rewind back to the summer of 2012 when the magpies defied all expectations and finished 5th, fans were going into that transfer window full of expectations. The lure of Europa League and a team full of young ambitious players gave Newcastle the perfect platform to kick on and buy some players who could take the team to the next level. However, the club found themselves fighting for their Premier League status until the 37th game of the season when they beat an already relegated QPR side. 

Here we try and argue why Alan Pardew should be fired as manager:

La Liga Team of the Season - 2012/2013

As an enormous La Liga enthusiast, I (@TheTacticsRoom on Twitter) have thoroughly enjoyed the league season. Some of the world’s finest players ply their trade in Spain, and this is my selection of the players who have impressed me the most over the course of the year.

Premier League Review 2012/2013 (Part 2)

Whilst it may not have been as exciting as last year, I'm sure you'll all agree that this season has still been extremely entertaining. Although there wasn't a huge amount of final day drama, there were some big scores throughout the season, one which won't be remembered for good defending! In this article I'll be going through the next 5 teams in the league with the following ones coming in the next instalments. I've also managed to get a few comments from a fan of the respective clubs to see what they thought.

Liverpool
If you were to sum up Liverpool's season in one word then in my opinion it should definitely be 'inconsistent'. At times, Liverpool have looked extremely impressive and brushed teams aside with ease such as Swansea and Fulham. However, for as many times as they've been able to do that, they've also succumbed to a really disappointing result against a lesser team, putting in a very mediocre performance. 

Rodgers was left short-changed at the start of the season when he put all his eggs in one basket to sign Fulham's Clint Dempsey and the American snubbed him for Spurs. This left him with a lack of attacking options and when Borini sustained an injury, the only striker they had was Suarez. The situation was made most evident when they travelled to Upton Park and because Luis Suarez was suspended, had to play Jonjo Shelvey up front due to having no recognised strikers available!

Premier League Review 2012/2013 (Part 1)

Whilst it may not have been as exciting as last year, I'm sure you'll all agree that this season has still been extremely entertaining. Although there wasn't a huge amount of final day drama, there were some big scores throughout the season, one which won't be remembered for good defending! In this article I'll go through the first 5 teams in the league with the following ones coming in the next instalments. I've also managed to get a few comments from a fan of the respective clubs to see what they thought.

Arsenal
Arsenal enjoyed a very happy final day and somehow they just managed to sneak into the Champions League yet again. Despite this, I know a number of Arsenal fans who have been underwhelmed by how their season went. Many have been calling for Wenger's head (and I'm not just talking about Piers Morgan!), claiming that he is running out of ideas and Arsenal need a change. 

They didn't enjoy a particularly strong start to the season and it was their excellent end of season form that brought them home in the end with some inconsistency wedged in between. Goals were not a problem however as they managed to hit 5 goals or more 7 times! There were also low points however and they came especially in the form of cup defeats after they were knocked out by Bradford and Blackburn.

Francesco Totti: Still Got It

Even as a 36-year old appearing to be coming to the end of his days in the beautiful game, Francesco Totty is still going strong and continuing to deliver us magical moments. Just the sight of him with a ball at his phenomenal feet leaves us in awe. To many, he is just one of those players you can't help but admire, the way he trots around with such elegance and flamboyance and the manner in which he plays his football.

There are many reasons why fans and players alike develop an admiration for such a classy footballer like Totti, but one of the main reasons is due to the loyalty and devotion he has shown to Roma. The mercurial Italian has stuck by his side in tough times and all the honours and achievements he has won with the Giallrossi have been well deserved. Recently The Gladiator revealed that he once snubbed a massive move to Real Madrid in 2004; Madrid were quite possibly the biggest club in the world, but Totti continued to serve his beloved Roma and still continues to do so. You simply cannot question his commitment and loyalty; he is Roma through and through.